Military airplane



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ATTORNEY .May 5, 1942. v. J. BURNELLI MILITARY AIRPLANE Filed May 11, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I [Jamar/[2111111111 May 5, 1942. v. J. BURNELLI MILITARY AIRPLANE Filed May 11, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 713m!!! .[BumeZ/i ATTORNEY 5, 1942. v. .1. BURNELLI MILITARY AIRPLANE Filed May 11, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTbRNEY.

Patented May 5, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT {)FFIICE MILITARY AIRPLANE Vincent J. Burnelli, Keyport, N. 3., asslgnor to Central Aircraft Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application May 11, 1939, Serial No. 272,967

2 Claims.

This invention relates to military airplanes of the all-wing or Burnelli type, wherein the cen- In this type of military airplane, in one form thereof, 1 have provided a single, empennage of the upper surface of this central wing section is provided .by a centrally longitudinal, tunnellike covering or hatch over the crewcompartment, which latter is walled in and may be soundproofed, to separate it from the remainder of the space in the central wing section, said covering, which may .be transparent, serving to increase the height of the crew compartment. Said crew compartment is inclusive of the pilots cockpit, which latter also provides operative placement for the bombardier, and it also provides for positioning of rear firing guns, both upper and lower.

In order to keep down the degree of drag or head resistance presented by the wing central section its height is generally reduced as much as possible, compatible with the needed containing capacity, and only 'an intermediate portion 1 thereof, which comprises the crew compartment,

is increased in height as before said.

Although not limited by other than practical considerations, I have for example designed a military airplane of this type wherein the crew compartment has a height of about 5V2 feet,

carrying boom which is merged into the trailing edge portion of the central wing section and made secure thereto by suitable means of attachment. Y

Suitable means of ingress and egress for the crew compartment are provided in the hatch.

My invention also embraces certain novel structural features with respect to the front and rear spars and their development into bulkheads I within the central wing section, for transverse while the height of the central wing section, outside said crew compartment, is about 3 feet.

At opposite sides of the crew compartment I provide other, walled in compartments which are intended to contain bombs or other load, these compartments equipped, of course, with bomb delivery means. Also, the forward portions of these bomb compartments are equipped with guns which are adapted for forward fire between the propeller blades.

Further, between the respective outer walls of the bomb compartments and the outer walls of the central wing section, there are provided 45 chambers, rearward of the front bulkhead, into which the landing wheels of the airplane may be retracted .when in flight, whilst forwardly of said front bulkhead there are housing means for the engines. 4

-Air for cooling the engine radiators is taken in at the leading edge of the central wing section, passes through the radiators, which are installed entirely within the leading edge portion at .opposite sides of the crew compartment, and is conducted through ducts that are continued through the bomb compartments, the flowing air being caused to issue from said ducts through the wing upper surface, to flow rearwardly thereover, aided by suction created at said upper wing 0 surface.

reinforcement of the latter; the front bulkhead provided with means of intercommunication be= tween the pilots cockpit and the crew compartment, and the rear bulkhead provided with a portal frame for communication through said 'rear bulkhead.

The bomb sighting equipment is located in the pilot's-cockpit, alongside the pilots position in the leading edge where an insertion of clear glass or other transparent medium affords the desired vision, and the bombardier, who normally has a seatlocated between the bulkheads, is enabled to pass into the pilots cockpit by way of the communication means through the front bulkhead, and can assume the prone position needed in taking sight.

In a modified form of my improved military airplane, in which provision is made for the installation of a rear scarf mount gun, the, after portion of the hatch is especially devised to accord the full vertical firing range, and, in this instance, twin booms are provided to carry the empennage in place of the central, single boom, for fire clearance purposes, or atailless airplane may be used.

Other features and advantages of my invention will-hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved military airplane wherein a single boom carries the tail group or empennage.

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the head.

Fig.5 is a front elevation of the rear bulkhead.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial plan view, mainly of the central wing section, showing more clearly the essential features thereof, and

Fig. '7 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing a modified form of the hatch with provision for a scarf gun mount and in this form of my invention twin booms are needed and provided to carry the tail group.

In said views, considering first Figs. 1 to 6, let I indicate the central section of an all-wing or Burnelli type airplane, and 2, 3 respectively the lateral wing sections which, together with said central section constitute the supporting front bulkcompartments, of which the middle compartment 6, that is flanked by walls 1, which may be sound proofed, is intended for use by the crew for operation of the military equipment, this compartment 6 including a pilots cockpit at its front portion, with accommodation for a bombardier. Also, whereas thecentral section i is generally of moderate height, or relatively shallow, to lessen the drag effect, the intermediate or crew compartment therein is of extended height so that the members of the crew may move freely therein and so that the pilot may have good lateral as well as forward vision. For a hatch 8, composed of suitable framework that is fitted with .a transparent surfacing, is placed as a covering over compartment 6, and this batch or covering, which is streamlined, itself has the necessary height to sufficiently increase the clear height within said compartment 6 for the desired purpose.

At opposite sides of compartment 6 and bounded laterally by the respective walls I and outer walls 9 are compartments I0, which are adapted to contain load, such for example as bombs ii, together with their release mechanism (not shown).

Forwardly firing guns, indicated at 52, are located in the front portion of compartments in, they being accessible by gunners through suitable openings (not shown) in the walls 1. Rear firing guns, indicated at 13, I4 are located in the crew compartment 6, for operation respectively upon targets above and below the airplane.

In the example of my invention illustrated the airplane is powered with liquid cooled engines and the radiators therefor, indicated at l5, receive air that has entered the central wing section through openings IS in its nose, said radiators being located forward of the bomb compartments i0. Air leaving the radiators isconveyed by ducts H rearwardly and upwardly to and through the roofs of compartments ID, for delivery thereover.

Between the walls 9 and the respective outer walls I8 of the central wing section, other compartments l9 are provided between the bulkheads, serving to receive the landing gear when retracted. The wheels are shown in dotted lines in their retracted, lodged positions. Also, the compartments I3 serve to contain the turbosuperchargers 2| for the engines, the scoops 22 thereof being shown as projected through the walls l8 of the central wing section.

The rear bulkhead, indicated at 21, has the central portal frame 28, which, together with the arcuate frame 29 on bulkhead 23, forms the hatch support. The portal frame permits passage through the bulkhead, and the cut-away openings 30 through bulkhead 21 are intended to receive the ends of bombs 3! that are too long to be contained between the bulkheads.

In the modified form of my invention :illustrated in Fig. 7, only the after part of the hatch differs from the showing in the preceding figures, said after part, in'Fig. '7, having a more abrupt, downwardly curved rear wall 32, with a vertical slot therein for gun traverse. For rear firing the single boom is displaced by twin booms, indicated at 33, the tail group carried thereby not appearing in the view.

The gun 34, carried by a scarf mount 35, is connected as by links 36, 37 with the gunners seat, which is pivoted at 38, so that the gunner, with his feet engaging pedals 39, finds his seat automatically shifting to different vertically rotated positions in consonance with the shifting attitudes of the gun as manipulated by him.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended bythe foregoing disclosure.

To eiiiciently serve the purposes of the compartmented interior of the central wing section, and for structural strength, the bulkheads hereinbefore referred to have certain novel form as shown. Thus, the front bulkhead, indicated at 23 (see Fig. 5) is composed of a frame structure, having angled bracing 24, and forming a continuation of the wing spars 25; This bulkhead includes an opening 26 that enables communication to be had between the crew compartment and the pilot's cockpit, and, in Fig. 6 the bombardier is shown in his prone,sighting position, with his figure extended through said opening,

the bomb sight being indicated at A.

I claim:

1. In an airplane, a lift producing and load containing central section of airfoil contour, means defining an intermediately disposed compartment in'said central section extending therein substantially from the leading edge to the trailing edge thereof and of a width substantially less than one-half the overall width of said central section, a hatch for said intermediate compartment extending thereover above the major portion of the upper surface of said central section, and means defining further compartments entirely within and enclosed by said central section and laterally disposed therein with respect to said intermediate compartment and extending within said central section substantially from the leading edge to the trailing edge thereof, and

fore and aft spaced bulkhead structures extending spanwise through said compartments and provided with centrally disposed complementary arch members for supporting said hatch therebetween.

2. In an airplane, a lift producing and load containing central section of airfoil contour, means defining an intermediately disposed compartment in said central section extending therein substantially from the leading edge to the trailing edge thereof, a hatch for said compartment extending thereover above the upper surface of said central section, and means defining further compartments entirely within and enclosed by said central section and laterally disposed therein with respect to said intermediate compartment and extending within said central section substantially from the leading edge to the trailing edge thereof, and fore and aft spaced bulkhead structures within said central. section and extending spanwise through said compartments, the aft bulkhead structure providing a portal frame and having cut away openings therein on each side of the portal frame for receiving the ends of bombs projecting from the laterally disposed compartments, and an arch formed on said fore bulkhead structure complementary to said portal frame for supporting said hatch therebetween.

VINCENT J. BURNELLI. 

